CH 8

“Young Master! Young master!.” Pei Xuan’s book boy hastily chased after her.

After leaving the Feng Minghou tower, she walked for a long time at a brisk pace, lost in her thoughts and  recalling Zhou Yezhi's commentary and laughter, as well as the image of Sun Ze swallowing his anger appeared in her mind.

Without warning, she punched an elm tree by the side of the road, ignoring the blood that began to seep from her hand. Her long eyelashes drooped, and her face looked cold and gloomy.

The book boy was startled: "Young Master! Why are you hurting yourself?.”

He quickly tore off a clean veil to bandage Pei Xuan's hand, but she was indifferent, her dark eyes swirling with an unreadable storm.

She couldn't understand why Mrs. Xining would choose the Sun family for her eldest daughter to marry into. 

The Sun's husband already had a wife and a concubine, and their older son was already engaged to the second daughter of the Yang family. This meant that the only option left was the lecherous Sun Zhe.

Why is a mother trying to send her daughter to a perverted den?

Pei Xuan gritted her teeth, pushed the book boy away, and walked home with the portrait in her arms.

"Huh? Sir!.” The book boy followed her, but he knew better than to speak, not wanting to upset his master.

Pei Xuan felt as if she was being trampled on by those around her, and she couldn't help but feel indignant.

Soon after arriving home, she shut herself in her room, sulking. 

"Why is my son acting so different?,” Mrs Pei asked.

The book boy scratched his head: "Ma'am, the Young Master hurt his hand, you should go in and have a look."

Mrs. Pei took a few steps forward and raised her arm to knock on the door, but then lowered it again. "Forget it, something must have happened, let her figure it out first."

She then turned to the book boy and asked, "You said that he caused a scene in public because of a portrait?.”

"Yes, Ma’am!.”

The conversation outside the door filtered through to Pei Xuan, but she paid no attention to it. She sat with the portrait spread out in front of her, surrounded by the backlight, lost in silence.

Mrs. Pei walked away from the door before asking carefully: "Is it a girl?.”

"The person in the painting is indeed a girl."

"Did you see her face clearly?.”

The book boy shook his head: "No, I'm just looking at it now. Anyway, when he saw that painting, he got very annoyed. The Zhou family member wanted to buy this painting from Mr. Sun, when the Young Master immediately rushed over in anger..”

“I see.” Mrs. Pei got close to her daughter's door and softly murmured in a low voice: "Pei?.”

As she gazed at the closed door, Mrs. Pei could sense Pei Xuan's palpable disappointment and frustration.

From birth, Pei Xuan was forced to live as a man, and as a result, the majority of her interactions were with men. If she would ever talk to a woman… it would be the eldest daughter of the Xining family.

Mrs. Pei began to recall how many times Pei Xuan mentioned the blind girl.

Pei Xuan, now known for her reserved nature, was not a typical lively woman in her youth, but she was not without interests either. She enjoyed leisure activities, such as flying her kite during her free time after examinations. 

Mrs. Pei remembered how Pei Xuan had fallen into the small south courtyard chasing after a kite that had flown in.

Whenever Pei Xuan spoke about the girl living in that small courtyard, her voice was full of warmth and admiration, as if she was not talking about a blind girl with imperfections, but a radiant moon in the sky that illuminated her heart and enriched her eyes.

As the wind blew past her ears, Mrs. Pei felt a surge of anxiety. She pushed open the door, took a deep breath, and entered the room. 

The hem of the peony-embroidered dress ran across the bright floor tiles. The bamboo curtain was lifted, and she saw her lonely daughter sitting on the floor.

"Are you still angry?,” Mrs. Pei asked, glancing at the portrait on the table. It was the same girl she had met before.

"I'm not angry anymore." After calming down, Pei Xuan raised her eyebrows and looked at the elegant woman: "Mother, what should this selfish child do?.”

In truth, there was nothing Mrs. Pei could do to help her daughter with her feelings.

Pei Xuan couldn’t bear to hear Zhou Ye and his friends disrespect Cui Ti, and she couldn’t understand why Cui Ti needed to marry someone lascivious.

She felt a terrible sensation enrapt her heart.

She was annoyed.

She wanted to beat the Xining couple!

Gazing at the portrait on the small wooden table, Pei Xuan tenderly traced the delicate and straight bridge of the nose of the person in the painting with her fingertips, admiring the impeccable contours of her cheeks, shoulders, and neck.

Mrs. Pei, who has known the ache of love, could see the longing in her daughter's eyes, and though she was shocked, she didn't criticize her daughter's preference,  "Why do you like her? I haven't seen you have any romantic feelings for other girls before."

"Because I hadn't met her before," Pei Xuan replied softly, her temperament as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Your father has already prepared a 'bride' for you to deceive others.  He originally wanted to wait until you were appointed as an official before getting married.”

"I don't want a prepared bride," Pei Xuan said firmly, her chin resting on her wrists with folded arms.

"Mother, I have someone I want to marry."

Zheng Wuji was right. If you like her, marry her, and after, you can talk about it.

If she missed this opportunity, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"Pei, you have placed me in a very tricky situation.”

Pei Xuan got up and bowed deeply to her mother. "This child has nothing else to ask for, but to have that girl accompany me day and night for the rest of my life."

…

On a sunny bright day, Bai Ge sneezed, and her eyelids kept twitching. After her left eye twitched and the right eye twitched, she couldn't help but cut two long, thin toothpicks to support her upper eyelids.

“–Let you dance, dance, dance forever!~~~”

The little maid was humming joyously while also venting her anger.

Cui Ti couldn't see her appearance, so she could roughly imagine her whiteness and cuteness: "Be careful, don't hurt your eyes."

"Don't worry, mistress!. I'm used to playing like this, it's fine."

Bai Ge soon caught a glimpse of the kite on the table from the corner of her eye, and said excitedly as she put down the toothpicks one by one: "Mistress, when are we going to fly the kite?.”

In the early morning, she secretly found a little maid with a decent personality, and exchanged a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake for a piece of information— that being is how the Madam has already finished the arrangements for the Cui Ti’s marriage.

But if the prime minister's son, Pei Xuan, who currently holds the title of top scholar were to marry Cui Ti, even the most distinguished member of the Xining family would have to show cordiality towards him. 

Bai Ge couldn't help but acknowledge Pei Xuan's admirable family background, striking appearance, and charming demeanor, particularly when it came to his treatment of women

She secretly regarded Pei Xuan as her future master.

"Bai Ge, help me, I want to fly this kite myself."

Bai Ge jumped up with excitement, her hands on her hips, and exclaimed, "Of course! I'd be happy to help you."

…

At this moment, Pei Xuan knelt on the ground, frankly accepting the anger thrown at her by Mr. Pei.

Mrs. Pei could only ask her husband to persuade their daughter.

For outsiders, they only know that the Pei family has a legitimate son, but they don't know that Mrs. Pei actually gave birth to a daughter.

Pei Xuan has been living as a man for nearly eighteen years, since her birth.

In order for her to have the opportunity to participate in the imperial examination, Mr. Pei was willing to use his power and influence to conceal her gender, but now, what is his "son" asking of him?.

Anger boiled within him, but he quickly suppressed it, not wanting to damage the relationship between father and daughter. Soon, Mr. Pei spoke calmly, "You are blinded by her beauty, how did I lead you astray?.”

“This child is ashamed.” Pei Xuan knocked her head hard on the floor, and planned to knock her head a second time.

When Mrs. Pei threw a piece of soft futon on the ground with a harsh expression but a soft heart, not wanting to see her daughter getting hurt.

As Pei Xuan knocked her forehead against the futon, she spoke softly, "She is blind and cannot see. Mr. Xining and his wife are heartless, how could they choose a husband for her? I can't just stand by and watch her jump into a pit.”

"If you don't want her to jump into the sea of flames, do you want to bring hundreds of people with you into the fire pit? Revealing your true identity is a serious crime that could lead to all of our execution," Mr. Pei warned her.

Then, he added, "My child, you now have the opportunity to become a minister of the country in the future, but as a girl, you cannot hold an official position, so I lied to protect you and our family's power."

"I am not ashamed of using my power for personal gain.”

"Fortunately, you have been talented since childhood, with ambition and backbone."

Speaking of this, Mr. Pei’s expression softened, "Pei, I have worked hard to pave the way for your future, so why would you risk it all on a girl you've only met once? Is she truly worth it?.”

"You say she is good, but what if she is bad?.”

Mr. Pei continued, his voice growing stern. "Even if you kneel, I won't agree to this marriage. If you break your knees, I will..."

"Husband," Mrs. Pei interjected, trying to stop her daughter from doing something drastic. 

Pei Xuan pursed her lips, and knelt straight, determined to prove her worth to her father.

As Mr. Pei saw his daughter's stubborn look, he grew angrier and waved his sleeves, "I'll stay here and see how long you can kneel for."

Suddenly, a commotion interrupted the tense atmosphere. 

"Young Master! The kite- the kite is flying! The kite is flying!.”

The people who were sent to guard the small south courtyard day and night did not dare to run back without delay, and did not dare to miss this important affair of the lord, so the book boy shouted at the top of his lungs at the risk of being punished.

Just as he was about to shout again, the book boy was dragged by a servant who covered his mouth.

"Do you want to die? The master is scolding the young master, why are you yelling?.”

"Teaching the young master a lesson?,” The book boy stared at the Pei Family and hurriedly covered his mouth.

"What are you doing!? Pei, come back!" Mr. Pei scolded, anger etched on his face, as Pei Xuan immediately ran out of the room.

…

As the day progressed, the beautiful kite continued to fly alone in the sky for nearly half an hour. 

Bai Ge, growing increasingly anxious, asked her mistress, "Why hasn't he come yet? You said he would come as soon as possible. Could it be a lie?.”

"He will come."

Cui Ti had no appetite for dinner and sat on the stone steps in front of the door, lost in thought, as the stars dotted the sky and the moon was obscured by clouds. 

The wind howled, thunder rumbled in the distance and the spring rain pattered against the ground.

“The day is going by quickly," Cui Ti said, as Bai Ge held an umbrella over her head.

They waited, and waited, until the first half of the night passed, then the second half. 

As the rain stopped and the sky turned pitch black, Bai Ge grew angry but refrained from saying "men are deceiving pig's trotters" and instead reassured her mistress, "He will definitely come, perhaps he is held up by something else."

Cui Ti's lower lip quivered, showing clear teeth marks as she replied,"The kite was damaged by the rain, let's make a new one."

“You're right!.”

And so, the master and servant set about building a new kite. 

Meanwhile, at the Sun family, Mr. Sun was eagerly anticipating his son's marriage and couldn't sleep at night. He pestered his wife to speed up the proposal process. 

Mrs. Sun too believed it was best for her son to settle the marriage as soon as possible.

As for Sun Ze, despite his concerns about Pei Xuan leaving with the portrait, he kept his complaints to himself. 

The sun was shining brightly in the small south courtyard as the newly made kites flew and danced in the wind.

"Bai Ge, is the thread broken?.”

"No!" Bai Ge looked up and said, "It's still floating in the sky."

Cui Ti was relieved.

She didn't believe that Pei Xuan wouldn't come.

She was just afraid, afraid that there would be changes between this life and her previous life, and that Pei Xuan would be a step behind.

"My lord! Your boots!.” The book boy shouted behind Pei Xuan holding a pair of boots.

Pei Xuan quickly hopped onto a carriage, riding away with an anxious expression.